Fortney: Doubts turn to awe as Stampede triumphs over adversity

Valerie Fortney, Calgary Herald07.14.2013

Calgary Stampede CEO Vern Kimball, left, and president and chairman Bob Thompson held a news conference June 24 — just days after southern Alberta was devastated by flooding — and announced the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth would go ahead this year, “Come hell or high water.”

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It was a sight that brought tears to Bob Thompson’s eyes — and it happened on nearly every one of the past unbelievable 10 days.

“I’d look up at the crowd in the grandstand, a full house of cheering people,” says Thompson, the president and chairman of the Calgary Stampede. “It would get me emotional every single time.”

Even though he stood before the media on June 24 announcing that the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth would be staged this year, “Come hell or high water,” Thompson still can’t quite believe it was a promise fulfilled.

“These past weeks, we’ve seen Calgarians come together, supporting their neighbours, supporting us,” he says. “It’s been just the most amazing experience, to witness the tenacity of our volunteers along with the citizens of this city.”

Thompson, a longtime Stampede volunteer and part-time cowboy, spent the first few months of his two-year presidency being asked how he planned to top the once-in-a-lifetime centennial celebration of the 2012 Calgary Stampede.

In this final weekend of the 2013 edition of this long-held Calgary tradition, Thompson can’t remember the last time he was asked that question.

“To be honest, the centennial Stampede feels like 100 years ago,” he says before heading to one more day at the rodeo. “This has been a most extraordinary Stampede, one that showed the world how Calgarians triumph over adversity.”

Three weeks after the natural disaster that killed four and left thousands of Albertans with everything from flooded basements to condemned homes, the 2013 Calgary Stampede will be forever intertwined with the Great Alberta Flood.

You see the connection in everything from the Hell or High Water T-shirts that raised $1 million for flood relief and trumpeted our determination to a world audience, to the still waterlogged Saddledome, now a tourist attraction for locals and tourists alike.

Just as the staggering kindness and help from Calgarians to their flood-ravaged neighbours has awed us all, so the survival of our biggest summer event — one that generates millions for our city’s economy — has stunned those who hold it close to their heart.

In the last weekend of Stampede, I spoke with many of those front liners, people who can now safely admit they feared the show might not go on.

Kim McGregor, who has been volunteering at the volunteer lounge on the grounds — in true Calgary style, volunteers pamper volunteers needing a break from their daily duties — says it’s more than relief she and her fellow Stampede stalwarts are feeling.

“We really weren’t sure for a while that it would happen,” says McGregor, who adds in the early days after June 20 many Stampede volunteers were out in the community helping in flood relief efforts.

“The fact that we did it, and did it well, has lifted the spirits of everyone. We’re all prouder than ever to be Calgarians.”

McGregor’s best moment these past 10 days were when she walked onto the grounds during Family Day. Seeing parents and kids enjoy so many of the free activities, she says, “made me cry and reminded why we do put in so many volunteer hours.”

For Stampede Queen Jessica Williams, the devastation of the flood made her more determined to fulfil the role she’d dreamed about as a young girl growing up in the southeastern Alberta village of Arrowwood.

“My mom and dad got flooded out and had to be evacuated,” she says of Tivi and Jim Williams, one of thousands of High River families displaced during those chaotic first two weeks.

“Every day at the beginning of the rodeo, the princesses and I have been so thrilled to walk on that stage,” she says, noting the disaster made her even more honoured to be the queen this year. “A big part of the celebration was about us being united, moving forward and rebuilding.”

Frank Sisson is certain that years from now, people won’t compare this Stampede to any that came before.

“We saw something that was quite extraordinary and we all shared in it,” says Sisson, a longtime volunteer and Stampede employee of more than four decades. “I was here in 1976, when we hit our first million and it was the biggest deal.”

“We did it again this year but that’s not what makes 2013 so special — we are starting a new century showing the same kind of perseverance those who started the Stampede 100 years ago did.”

Yes, it’s been a Stampede unlike any other.

When the city was brought to its knees, many doubted Bob Thompson’s claims that it would be ready in time. Cowboys, western artists, students and the thousands of others who rely on the Stampede each year for their financial survival feared the worst.

But come Hell or High Water, they did it. But they didn’t do it alone.

“I’ve never felt so much support, had so many people telling us to not give up,” says Thompson. “I’ve never been prouder to be a Calgarian.”

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